Clockwise from top left: St. Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury; St. Lioba, Beloved Abbess and Enlightener of Germany; St. Deiniol of Bangor; Martyrs Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope, and Love, at Rome; and Great Martyr Eustathios Placidas and His Wife Theopiste and Children Agapios and Theopistos, also Martyred with Him.
By Walt Garlington
♱ St. Bega (Begh, Bee), 6/19 September
She was an Irish princess, the most beautiful in her kingdom, who fled from her native land to avoid marriage with a pagan Viking—a Norwegian prince. Guided by an angel, Bega refused a pagan husband, as she wanted to devote her life to the Heavenly Bridegroom—Christ. Having crossed the Irish Sea and survived shipwreck, she was thrown ashore in the area to the south of the present-day Cumbrian town of Whitehaven in Copeland (in the north-west of England). Seeing in this a sign from God, Bega settled there in solitude and for many years lived as an anchoress.
With time she may have founded a convent, though the nuns may have appeared after her repose (8th or 9th century), since the anonymous author of her life indicates that the holy virgin lived alone at Copeland. This convent was later called St. Bees after the saint. The same name is borne by the village it is situated in and a nearby headland on the north-west coast of Cumbria is called St. Bees Head in her memory.
A fuller account of the life of our Holy Mother Bega
♱ St. Cloud, the Royal Wilderness Dweller, Near Paris, 7/20 September
St. Cloud was born in 520. When his father (Chlodomer, King of Orleans) was killed in battle in 524, he and his brothers were brought up by their grandmother St. Clotilde (June 3). His brothers were murdered by their uncles Childebert and Clotaire to prevent them from succeeding to the Frankish throne. St. Cloud escaped and lived as a hermit, renouncing any claim to the throne. Later, St. Cloud was ordained to the holy priesthood, and lived a life of virtue and good works, establishing the monastery of Nogent-Sur-Seine, a haven and hospital for many souls, where he died around 560.
Source
A fuller account of his life
Trisagion Films has produced a video about his holy man, which may be viewed here.
♱ St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise, 9/22 September
Born to the family of a cartwright in Ireland, he entered monastic life when he was very young at the Monastery of Clonard, where he became a disciple of St. Finnian (December 12). He became one of the “Twelve Apostles of Ireland,” all of them disciples of St. Finnian. Ciaran founded the great monastery of Clonmacnoise (pronounced clon-mac-neesh) on the Shannon River, which became one of Ireland’s great monasteries. Once, during a great famine, He distributed all of the monastery’s food to the people, entrusting his monks’ survival, and his own, to providence. St. Ciaran reposed in peace, aged only thirty-three, in 459.
Source
Longer accounts of this notable Irishman’s life are here and here.
♱ Sts. Nemesian, Felix, Lucius, another Felix, Litteus, Polyanus, Victor, Jader, Dativus, and Companions (+257), 10/23 September
Nine bishops of Numidia in North Africa who with numerous other clergy and laypeople were condemned to slavery in the marble quarries of Sigum where they ended their lives. A letter of St. Cyprian addressed to them still exists.
Source
Some of the content of this noteworthy letter by St. Cyprian of Carthage to these heroic martyrs is quoted here.
♱ St. Deiniol of Bangor, 11/24 September
St. Deiniol (the Welsh from of Daniel) lived in the sixth century. He was a descendant of one Celtic ruler in Northern Britain. As a young man Deiniol probably studied at the monastery of the saintly Abbot Cadoc in Llancarfan, Wales. He also may have lived as hermit in Pembrokeshire for some while. But our saint of God, above all, is famous for establishing two monasteries in Wales with the name “Bangor:” the first was called “Bangor Fawr” (now the city of Bangor in Gwynedd), while the second was called “Bangor Iscoed” (now the village of Bangor-on-Dee on the River Dee in Wrexham).
The man of God gathered many disciples around him who went out to evangelize the surrounding region. Thus, with time, many converts to Christianity joined the monastery, Bangor Fawr: some of them became monks, while others came to live together with their families within the monastery’s territory (such was a popular custom of Celtic monasteries). Thus the monastery grew.
St. Deiniol may have served as abbot of both monasteries – Bangor Fawr and Bangor on the River Dee – which gained wide renown all over Britain. According to the Venerable Bede, Bangor Fawr Monastery over a short period of time became one of the greatest monastic centers among Britons and no fewer than 2000 monks lived in it. Tradition says that Deiniol was not only abbot, but also the first bishop of the newly-established Diocese of Bangor, which exists to this day.
The narrative of this influential Welshman continues here.
♱ St. Paphnutius the Confessor (+4th century), 11/24 September
“A bishop of the Egyptian Thebaid, he suffered greatly for the Orthodox faith: heretics put out one of his eyes and broke his left leg. He took part in the First Ecumenical Council, refuting the Arian heresy with great power. The Emperor Constantine valued him greatly and often kissed him on the missing eye, lost for the truth of Orthodoxy. At the council, he stood in opposition to the western representatives, who proposed that secular priests be completely forbidden to marry. He was chaste throughout the whole of his life.” (Prologue)
Source
♱ Venerable Edith of Wilton (+984), 16/29 September
Daughter of King Edgar and St. Wilfrida. She became a nun at Wilton in England at the age of fifteen. She reposed at the age of twenty-two, famous for her generosity to the poor and her familiarity with wild animals. The mighty St. Dunstan wept when he learned from the Lord that He would be taking such a holy young maiden away from the earth.
Source
A fuller account of her life and legacy
♱ Martyrs Sophia and her three daughters Faith, Hope, and Love, at Rome (+137), 17/30 September
Sophia was a widow in Rome in the time of the Emperor Hadrian, and raised her three daughters in the Faith. When the four of them were brought before the persecutors, Faith was twelve years old, Hope was ten, and Love was nine. Ordered to make sacrifice to the goddess Artemis, all of them humbly refused. All three daughters were tortured, then executed, before their mother’s eyes. Sophia buried their bodies and mourned at their grave for three days and nights, then fell asleep in peace. For her steadfastness and solidarity with her daughters’ sufferings she is counted as a martyr along with them. Sophia means “wisdom” in Greek; the three daughters’ names in Greek are Pistis, Elpis, and Agape; in Russian, Vera, Nadezhda, and Lyubov.
Source
A fuller account of their lives
♱ St. Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, 19 September/2 October
A Greek who was educated in Tarsus in Cilicia, he spent some time at Athens and became a monk in Rome. He was aged sixty-six when Pope Vitalian appointed him to Canterbury at the suggestion of the African St. Adrian in 666. They travelled to England together, Adrian becoming Abbot of Sts. Peter and Paul in Canterbury. Theodore is rightly called the second founder of Canterbury. He visited all parts of the country, consolidated or re-established dioceses, promoted learning and held the first national Council in Hertford in 672. St. Theodore is one of the greatest figures in English history.
Source
Longer accounts of his life are here, here, and here.
A service for St. Theodore is here.
“Troparion of St. Theodore of Canterbury — Tone VIII”
As a compatriot of the pre-eminent Paul and a scion of Tarsus,
O Theodore, bestowed upon the West by God thou didst traverse afar,
proclaiming the peerless Gospel of Christ among the Angles and Saxons.
Wherefore, having received thee as a gift divine and great,
we cry out in thanksgiving to the Lord on high:
Truly wondrous art Thou, O Saviour, in Thy holy bishop and in all the saints!
Source
♱ Great Martyr Eustathios Placidas and His Wife Theopiste and Children Agapios and Theopistos, also Martyred with Him (+118), of Rome, 20 September/3 October
Before his Baptism, the Holy Great Martyr Eustáthios was named Plakidas (Πλακίδας). He was a Roman General in the reigns of Emperors Titus (79-81) and Trajan (98-117). Even before he came to know Christ, Plakidas devoted himself to charitable endeavors, helping the poor and destitute. Therefore, the Lord did not allow this virtuous pagan to continue in the darkness of idolatry.
One day, while hunting in a forest, he saw a remarkable stag which stopped now and then to stare at him. Plakidas pursued it on horseback, but could not catch up. The stag jumped over a chasm and stood on the other side facing him. Suddenly, Plakidas saw a radiant Cross between its antlers. The General was astonished to hear a voice coming from the Cross saying, “Why do you pursue me, Plakidas?”
“Who are You, Master?” asked Plakidas. The voice replied, “I am Jesus Christ, Whom you do not know, but by your good deeds, you honor me. I have appeared here on this creature for your sake, to draw you into the net of my love for mankind. It is not fitting that one as righteous as you should worship idols and remain ignorant of the truth. It was to save mankind that I came into the world.”
Plakidas cried out, “Lord, I believe that You are the God of Heaven and earth, the Creator of all things. Master, teach me what I should do.” Again the Lord replied, “Go to the bishop of your country and receive Baptism from him, and he will instruct you.”
The rest of their extraordinary story is here.
♱ St. Adomnan, Abbot of Iona, 23 September/6 October
St. Adomnan (also Adamnan, Eunan) was born in Ireland in about 625, approximately on the site of the present-day small town of Raphoe in County Donegal in Ulster. His father’s name was Ronan and his mother was called Ronat. The venerable man studied at one of the monasteries founded by St. Columba of Iona (who was probably a distant relative) in Ireland before he moved to Scotland. The young Adomnan soon became famous for his learning, brilliant knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and theology, fine teaching abilities and holiness of personal life. It is believed that for a short time Adomnan studied and taught at the Irish Monastery of Durrow. Historians suggest that for some time the saint headed the Skreen Monastery in the Irish county of Sligo; the area where this monastery stood once was known as “the Seals’ Hill.”
Later the man of God moved to Scotland, to the great monastery of Iona, where he led the monastic life under Abbot Segene. In the year 679, aged about fifty-five, Adomnan himself became the tenth abbot of this prominent monastery and, thus, one of the successors of great Columba. Adomnan was one of the wisest and most active abbots in the whole history of Iona. From time to time he made journeys to the north of England and Ireland to spread the Good News of Christ. He also undertook a successful mission to the Scottish area now known as Perth and Kinross, especially to the long glen (a narrow valley in Scotland) called Glen Lyon.
The narrative about Holy Adomnan is continued here.
♱ Sts. Polyxene and Xanthippe, Early Preachers of the Gospel in Spain, 23 September/6 October
The Monastic Women Xanthippe and Polyxene were sisters by birth and they lived in Spain in the time of the holy Apostles. They were among the first to hear the divine teaching of Christ the Savior from the holy Apostle Paul, when he preached in their land. Saint Xanthippe and her husband Probus accepted Christianity, but Saint Polyxene was still a pagan when a certain man became entranced with her extraordinary beauty and forcibly carried her off to Greece on a ship.
The rest of their story is told here.
♱ St. Ceolfrid (Geoffrey), Abbot of Wearmouth-Jarrow, 25 September/8 October
A native of Northumbria, St. Ceolfrith received monastic tonsure at Gilling Abbey in Yorkshire, England. He spent some time at Ripon Abbey, before settling at Wearmouth-Jarrow where he succeeded St. Benedict Biscop (12th January) as Abbot of that great monastic centre. St. Ceolfrith is remembered as the teacher of St. Bede the Venerable (25th May), and for producing the Codex Amiatinus, the oldest surviving one-volume copy of St. Jerome’s (30th September) Vulgate. St. Ceolfrid reposed at Langres (north-eastern France) in 716 whilst on his way to Rome to deliver the third and finest volume of the Codex Amiatinus, monks accompanying St. Ceolfrith finished the journey. His relics were later translated to Wearmouth-Jarrow where they were enshrined.
Source
Longer accounts are here and here.
St. Bede’s account of his life may be read here.
♱ St. Lioba, Beloved Abbess and Enlightener of Germany, 28 September/11 October
A relative of St. Boniface, St. Lioba became a nun at Wimborne. In 748, at the request of St. Boniface, she left England for Germany together with a group of nuns and became Abbess of Bischoffsheim. She was greatly loved by her nuns. St. Lioba’s convents were one of the most important factors in the conversion of Germany.
Source
A fuller account of her life
For complete lists of Orthodox saints of our Southern forefathers of Africa and Western Europe for September, visit Dr. John Hutchison-Hall and Fr. Andrew Phillips’ Orthodox England.
Walt Garlington is a chemical engineer turned writer and editor of the website Confiteri: A Southern Perspective. This longtime Southern Baptist, then Anglican, was united to the Orthodox Church in 2012 and makes his home in Louisiana where he attends a GOA parish.
